• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.59 no.10
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• pp.402-407
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• 2016

Purpose: Buckwheat allergy is one of the most severe types of food allergy in some countries, especially among children. However, few studies have investigated this condition. The aim of this study was to report the clinical and laboratory findings in Korean children with buckwheat allergy. Methods: Thirty-seven subjects, aged 1 to 14 years, were enrolled by retrospective medical record review from January 2000 through May 2015 at the Department of Pediatrics in Ajou University Hospital. The demographic profile, previous exposure to buckwheat pillows, clinical symptoms, and laboratory findings of each subject were recorded. Results: Twenty-six of the 37 children had immediate-type allergic symptoms to buckwheat, while 11 subjects were tolerant to buckwheat. Seventeen out of 26 buckwheat allergic children (65.4%) had anaphylaxis. The median buckwheat specific IgE level in the buckwheat allergic group ($7.71kU_A/L$) was significantly higher (P<0.001) than in the buckwheat tolerant group ($0.08kU_A/L$) with an optimal cutoff value of $1.27kU_A/L$ (sensitivity 84.6%, specificity 100%). When adjusted for age, the difference between the 2 groups showed no statistical significance (P=0.063). In subjects who had anaphylaxis, buckwheat-specific IgE levels ranged from 0.37 to $100kU_A/L$. Conclusion: Almost two-thirds of buckwheat-allergic children had anaphylaxis, and a wide-range of buckwheat specific IgE levels were observed in these children. Anaphylaxis occurred in a subject with a remarkably low IgE level ($0.37kU_A/L$).

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.55 no.6
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• pp.607-611
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• 2017

Primary maternal infection with toxoplasmosis during pregnancy is frequently associated with transplacental transmission of the parasite to the fetus. This study was conducted to test the utility of PCR assay to detect recent infections with Toxoplasma in aborted women at various gestational ages who referred to Obstetrics and Gynecology Department of Alavi Hospital in Ardabil during 2014 and 2016. Two hundred women with a history of single or repeated abortion were investigated in this study. Blood samples were tested for specific anti-Toxoplasma IgM and IgG antibodies by ELISA. According to the results, 53.5% of the women under study were positive for anti-Toxoplasma antibodies: 4.0% of them had IgM, 43.0% had IgG, and 6.5% had both IgM and IgG. Subsequently, Nested-PCR analysis was used to detect T. gondii DNA in the placenta of subjects. In 10.5% of the women, the results were positive for 529 bp element of T. gondii. Among them, 5 (23.8%) cases were IgM positive, 1 (4.8%) case was IgG positive, and 11 (52.4%) were both IgM and IgG positive. In 4 (19.0%) patients, none of the antibodies were found to be positive. In total, 16 patients had positive results in both ELISA and PCR methods, and 174 cases had negative results for new infection. The findings of this study revealed that T. gondii might be one of the significant factors leading to abortion, and that the analysis of placenta can be important in order to achieve increased detection sensitivity.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.56 no.1
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• pp.61-70
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• 2018

We developed a Rapid Diagnostic Test (RDT) kit for detecting IgG/IgM antibodies against Zika virus (ZIKV) using monoclonal antibodies to the envelope (E) and non-structural protein 1 (NS1) of ZIKV. These proteins were produced using baculovirus expression vector with Sf9 cells. Monoclonal antibodies J2G7 to NS1 and J5E1 to E protein were selected and conjugated with colloidal gold to produce the Zika IgG/IgM RDT kit (Zika RDT). Comparisons with ELISA, plaque reduction neutralization test (PRNT), and PCR were done to investigate the analytical sensitivity of Zika RDT, which resulted in 100% identical results. Sensitivity and specificity of Zika RDT in a field test was determined using positive and negative samples from Brazil and Korea. The diagnostic accuracy of Zika RDT was fairly high; sensitivity and specificity for IgG was 99.0 and 99.3%, respectively, while for IgM it was 96.7 and 98.7%, respectively. Cross reaction with dengue virus was evaluated using anti-Dengue Mixed Titer Performance Panel (PVD201), in which the Zika RDT showed cross-reactions with DENV in 16.7% and 5.6% in IgG and IgM, respectively. Cross reactions were not observed with West Nile, yellow fever, and hepatitis C virus infected sera. Zika RDT kit is very simple to use, rapid to assay, and very sensitive, and highly specific. Therefore, it would serve as a choice of method for point-of-care diagnosis and large scale surveys of ZIKV infection under clinical or field conditions worldwide in endemic areas.

• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.15-20
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• 2014

Fowl adenovirus (FAV) is an important cause of several diseases, which result in considerable economic losses to the poultry farm. An outer capsid protein of FAV, fiber 2 is essential for virus growth, assembly or spread. This study was performed to produce about 22 kDa of recombinant fiber 2 protein and to immunize in laying hens to acquire the specific IgY antibody against the recombinant fiber 2. Laying hens were immunized with the recombinant fiber 2 intramuscularly in the breast muscle by injection 4 times at intervals of three weeks. At 12 weeks, serum- and egg yolk-antibody titers of hens against fiber 2 were increased up to 430,000 and 414,000, respectively. The recombinant fiber 2 could be recognized be the anti-His monoclonal antibody. Anti-fiber 2-IgY antibody could recognize the fiber 2 specifically in western blot analysis. These results suggested that the recombinant fiber 2 antigen could be used as an immunogen to elicit IgY antibody against fiber 2 and the anti-fiber 2-IgY could neutralize fowl adenovirus fiber 2 effectively.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.47-54
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• 1997

It is generally accepted that parasite-specific IgE plays a crucial role in host defense against helminthic parasites. However, the role of high levels of nonspecific IgE in helminthic infections is still controversial. To investigate the role of nonspecific IgE in primary infections with P. westemani the effect of anti-lgE mAb treatment on serum IgE, $Fc{\varepsilon}RII/CD23$ expression and worm burden in Parcgonimus-infected mice were examined. In mice treated with anti-lgE antibody, the total IgE levels were not detectable ($1{\;}{\mu\textrm{g}/ml}$) throughout the experiment compared with untreated infected mice. The mean percentages of $Fc{\varepsilon}RII/CD23$ positive splenic B cells in anti-lgE treated mice (ridge: 20.3 - 30.5) were also decreased throughout the experiment compared with untreated infected mice (range: 35.7-44.4). Reduction of the total IgE and expression of $Fc{\varepsilon}RII/CD23$ on splenic B cells resulted in decreased worm burden six weeks post infection. These results suggest that high levels of nonspecific IgE in mice with primary infections of P. westemnni play a harmful, rather than beneficial, role for the host, perhaps by interfering with CD23-dependent cellular pathways.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.51 no.2
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• pp.115-125
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• 2015

A monoclonal antibody AP64 IgM binds to human acute nonlymphocytic leukemia (ANLL) cell line HL60 and also cross-reacts with the homologous antigen in a rat ANLL cell. This antibody mediated by complement, has leukemia a suppression effect. In this study, we generated a recombinant single-chain variable domain fragment (ScFv) which were derived from $V_H$ and $V_L$ cDNA of AP64 IgM-secreting hybridoma by RT-PCR. The two variable regions were joined with a single 15 amino acid linker $(G_4S)_3$. This recombinant ScFv was expressed as a single polypeptide chain from Escherichia coli BMH 71-18. The recombinant ScFv was purified by applying the periplasmic extract to $Ni^+$-NTA-agarose affinity column and detected with westernblot. The purified recombinant ScFv recognized a surface antigen (about 30 kDa) of HL60 cell line which is the same antigen detected by parental AP64 IgM. But the affinity of ScFv for a surface antigen of HL60 was lower than that of the parental AP64 IgM, which needs to be further improved. Overall, the recombinant ScFv specific to HL60 might be a useful bioreagent for either diagnostic or therapeutic purposes.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.56 no.12
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• pp.505-513
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• 2013

Because the prevalence of allergic diseases has significantly increased in recent years, understanding the causes and mechanisms of these disorders is of high importance, and intense investigations are ongoing. Current knowledge pinpoints immune tolerance mechanisms as indispensable for healthy immune response to allergens in daily life. It is evident that development and maintenance of allergen-specific T cell tolerance is of vital importance for a healthy immune response to allergens. Such tolerance can be gained spontaneously by dose-dependent exposures to allergens in nature or by allergen-specific immunotherapy. Allergen-specific immunotherapy induces regulatory T cells with the capacity to secrete interleukin-10 and transforming growth factor-${\beta}$, limits activation of effector cells of allergic inflammation (such as mast cells and basophils), and switches antibody isotype from IgE to the noninflammatory type IgG4. Although allergen-specific immunotherapy is the only method of tolerance induction in allergic individuals, several factors, such as long duration of treatment, compliance problems, and life-threatening side effects, have limited widespread applicability of this immunomodulatory treatment. To overcome these limitations, current research focuses on the introduction of allergens in more efficient and safer ways. Defining the endotypes and phenotypes of allergic diseases might provide the ability to select ideal patients, and novel biomarkers might ensure new custom-tailored therapy modalities.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.180-185
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• 1999

Effects of host immunization on bacterial translocation and growth performance in weanling piglets were studied. Twenty four barrows were assigned to one of two immunization treatments: Control group (CON: immunized with placebo) or Immunization group [IMMU: immunized with Antigen cocktail; Keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH), Ovalbumin (OA), and Tetanus toxoid (TT)]. On d0, piglets were weaned and intramuscularly immunized with 2 ml of placebo or Antigen cocktail, respectively. Antigen-specific Ig titers were determined by ELISA (Enzyme Linked ImmunoSorbent Assay). Ig titers to E. coli-derived lipopolysaccharides (LPS) were measured as the indicator of bacterial translocation. Ig titers to LPS were higher (p<0.10, 0.05 or 0.01) in CON group before immunization (d0), but the difference disappeared with time and IgA titers to LPS became higher (p<0.05) in IMMU group on d39. In IMMU group, IgG titers to LPS from d28 onwards showed positive correlations (p<0.10, 0.05, 0.01 or 0.001) with IgG titers to KLH from d11 onwards and with IgM titers to KLH from d7 onwards. Generally, growth performance was negatively related to IgG titers to LPS. Average daily gain for d28 to d35 showed negative correlations (p<0.10, 0.05, or 0.01) with IgG titers to LPS on d28 onwards in immunization group. These results reveal some evidences that host immunization might facilitate bacterial translocation and high humoral immune responses to LPS are negatively related with the growth performance.

• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
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• v.6 no.5
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• pp.356-361
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• 1997

Fiber-optic evanescent wave sensor was designed and fabricated to detect mouse immunoglobulin G(IgG) with decladed optical fiber on which anti-mouse IgG was immobilized. A sensitivity obtained by any direct or competitive method was lower than $1\;{\mu}g/m{\ell}$. Anti-mouse IgG was immobilized on 93.9% of core surface of optical fiber by simple adsorption method. The effect of postcoating using bovine serum albumin to remove non-specific binding was not observed. As the ratio of fluorescein to mouse IgG increased, the fluorescence signal increased, but that increase showed no linear relationship. Our fiber-optic sensor system could be used as immunosensor by measuring evanescent fluorescence in antigen-antibody reaction with good sensitivity below $1{\mu}g/m{\ell}$ level.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.30 no.10
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• pp.905-911
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• 2020

The adjuvant effect of PAMAM dendrimer G4 (PAMAM) on the induction of humoral and cellular immune responses against keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH) was examined. Mice were immunized subcutaneously twice at two-week intervals with KLH, with or without PAMAM dendrimer (100 ㎍/mouse), and the mice immunized with KLH+PAMAM showed significantly higher antibody titers against KLH than those immunized with KLH alone. The assay for determining the isotypes of the antibodies showed that PAMAM augmented the KLH-specific antibody titers of IgG1, IgG2a, IgG2b, IgG3, and IgM. In addition, mice immunized twice with KLH+PAMAM followed by a subcutaneous injection of KLH (20 ㎍/site) 7 weeks after the primary immunization exhibited a higher delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) reaction than those treated with KLH alone. In an in vitro analysis of T lymphocyte proliferation in response to KLH in week 8, the splenocytes of mice treated with KLH+PAMAM showed significantly higher proliferating activity than those treated with KLH alone, and the culture supernatants of cell cultures from mice immunized with added PAMAM dendrimer showed higher levels of KLH-specific cytokine (IL-4 and IFN-r) production. These results suggest that PAMAM dendrimer G4 possesses a potent immune-adjuvant activity for enhancing both humoral and cell-mediated immunity specific to foreign antigens.